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How do you as a marketer identify deceptive CPA offers?Why?Examples?

by storge
10 replies
Define deceptive CPA offers in your opinion.Identify deceptive CPA offers?Why?Examples? Thank you!
#cpa #deceptive #identify #marketer #offerswhyexamples
  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Educate yourself. Visit the website, read the terms and conditions, read the fine print, etc. Also you really need to define what deceptive is, some would find ringtone offers deceptive because someone gets billed every month, others wont because it's in big bold letters and you do get to download new ringtones each month.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kenster
    Yes that's the tough part. I would hesitate to say a majority of CPA offers are deceptive because then you can expand that logic to include most marketing campaigns out there by large offline corporations.

    The truth is that normally is half truths and some level of deception in marketing campaigns.

    BUT the important thing to realize is that consumers understand this and factor this into their mental processing. When they see a BMW ad that says BMWs are the best luxury vehicle, they don't automatically assume the ad is being 100% correct and don't automatically believe BMWs are the best because their ad says so.

    So, consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims, so even though most are a bit deceptive, in truth they aren't deceiving people as much as you would think.


    I don't know if that made sense at all, but I guess I just wanted to speak to CPA campaigns and how they aren't as different from any other marketing campaigns out there as many people think.
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    • Profile picture of the author azmanar
      Originally Posted by Kenster View Post

      Yes that's the tough part. I would hesitate to say a majority of CPA offers are deceptive because then you can expand that logic to include most marketing campaigns out there by large offline corporations.

      The truth is that normally is half truths and some level of deception in marketing campaigns.

      BUT the important thing to realize is that consumers understand this and factor this into their mental processing. When they see a BMW ad that says BMWs are the best luxury vehicle, they don't automatically assume the ad is being 100% correct and don't automatically believe BMWs are the best because their ad says so.

      So, consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims, so even though most are a bit deceptive, in truth they aren't deceiving people as much as you would think.


      I don't know if that made sense at all, but I guess I just wanted to speak to CPA campaigns and how they aren't as different from any other marketing campaigns out there as many people think.
      Hi,

      Your statement has clearly defined the meaning of the word " DECEPTION ", in marketing context.


      Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author storge
      Originally Posted by Kenster View Post

      Yes that's the tough part. I would hesitate to say a majority of CPA offers are deceptive because then you can expand that logic to include most marketing campaigns out there by large offline corporations.

      The truth is that normally is half truths and some level of deception in marketing campaigns.

      BUT the important thing to realize is that consumers understand this and factor this into their mental processing. When they see a BMW ad that says BMWs are the best luxury vehicle, they don't automatically assume the ad is being 100% correct and don't automatically believe BMWs are the best because their ad says so.

      So, consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims, so even though most are a bit deceptive, in truth they aren't deceiving people as much as you would think.


      I don't know if that made sense at all, but I guess I just wanted to speak to CPA campaigns and how they aren't as different from any other marketing campaigns out there as many people think.
      I agree but I still have reservation that all consumers are that"smart" to discount the credibility of all marketing claims if you compare online advertising experience to offline advertising experience(more localized in most situations) especially so for online newbies.The experience could be very different in some cases even for non newbies.If all consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims,as you mentioned,my question is why are there still many complaints to such offers?I guess it might apply to some consumers.

      my 2cents
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      • Profile picture of the author azmanar
        Originally Posted by storge View Post

        I agree but I still have reservation that all consumers are that"smart" to discount the credibility of all marketing claims,especially if you compare online advertising experience to offline advertising experience(more localized in most situations) for online newbies.The experience could be very different in some cases even for non newbies.If all consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims,as you mentioned,my question is why there are still many complaints to such offers?I guess it might apply to some consumers.
        Hi Storge,

        We can't control the character and abilities of both sides of the market.

        In fact, another party in the equation is the AFFILIATES - us.

        The main mitigating factors are active review sites run by consumer groups.
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        • Profile picture of the author storge
          Originally Posted by azmanar View Post

          Hi Storge,

          We can't control the character and abilities of both sides of the market.

          In fact, another party in the equation is the AFFILIATES - us.

          The main mitigating factors are active review sites run by consumer groups.

          hi Azmanar,I totally agree with you as you mentioned,'We can't control the character and abilities of both sides of the market',that's why only some consumers can be in a position to assess the credibility of the marketing claims of these offers and regulatory policies always have to be modified to safeguard and try to balance all interests of involving parties concerned in this industry.

          my 2cents
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          • Profile picture of the author Kenster
            Originally Posted by storge View Post

            I agree but I still have reservation that all consumers are that"smart" to discount the credibility of all marketing claims if you compare online advertising experience to offline advertising experience(more localized in most situations) especially so for online newbies.The experience could be very different in some cases even for non newbies.If all consumers are programmed to discount (to some level) the credibility of all marketing claims,as you mentioned,my question is why are there still many complaints to such offers?I guess it might apply to some consumers.

            my 2cents


            I was just making the point that consumers in general discount the credibility of claims to some level, and that is why marketing campaigns both online and offline are not as deceptive as they may appear on the surface.

            For example, if you see a commercial that says Cancun Mexico is the the most relaxing place on the planet, the average consumer takes that with a grain of salt. At the very surface level, you can say it IS deceptive because they are telling consumers that Cancun is the number one most relzing place on the planet, yet there obviously is no apparent evidence of such and the concept itself is so subjective. BUT, consumers automatically discount the credibility (to some extent) of such marketing statements.

            Now to be clear...

            I am not saying that all CPA offers are not deceptive or that CPA offers are much more or much less deceptive than traditional marketing campaigns, I was just attempting to explain how marketing in general can be perceived as deceptive to some level in most ciscumstances.


            The trouble is that the online marketing space for companies that aren't brands (like many of the CPA merchants) is that they dont need to live up to a reputation because there is a barrier between them and the consumer. Plus, its a bit easier to get away with more "garbage" in online promotional material compared to a printed or televised ad in the traditional marketing world.

            So, though CPA has a lot of garbage going on, its a very wide playing field and you can play wherever you like...that's the good news


            A good way to get around this is to just stick with the "branded" cpa offers like Netflix or EHarmony. They can't be as deceptive because they have a direct merchant to consumer reputable and brand they need to maintain.


            Originally Posted by storge View Post

            hi Azmanar,I totally agree with you as you mentioned,'We can't control the character and abilities of both sides of the market',that's why only some consumers can be in a position to assess the credibility of the marketing claims of these offers and regulatory policies always have to be modified to safeguard and try to balance all interests of involving parties concerned in this industry.

            my 2cents

            I suspect as the industry develops, so to will the regulatory oversight, which will help, not hurt, this industry...at least in terms of credibility.
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            • Profile picture of the author storge
              Originally Posted by Kenster View Post

              I was just making the point that consumers in general discount the credibility of claims to some level, and that is why marketing campaigns both online and offline are not as deceptive as they may appear on the surface.

              For example, if you see a commercial that says Cancun Mexico is the the most relaxing place on the planet, the average consumer takes that with a grain of salt. At the very surface level, you can say it IS deceptive because they are telling consumers that Cancun is the number one most relzing place on the planet, yet there obviously is no apparent evidence of such and the concept itself is so subjective. BUT, consumers automatically discount the credibility (to some extent) of such marketing statements.

              Now to be clear...

              I am not saying that all CPA offers are not deceptive or that CPA offers are much more or much less deceptive than traditional marketing campaigns, I was just attempting to explain how marketing in general can be perceived as deceptive to some level in most ciscumstances.


              The trouble is that the online marketing space for companies that aren't brands (like many of the CPA merchants) is that they dont need to live up to a reputation because there is a barrier between them and the consumer. Plus, its a bit easier to get away with more "garbage" in online promotional material compared to a printed or televised ad in the traditional marketing world.

              So, though CPA has a lot of garbage going on, its a very wide playing field and you can play wherever you like...that's the good news


              A good way to get around this is to just stick with the "branded" cpa offers like Netflix or EHarmony. They can't be as deceptive because they have a direct merchant to consumer reputable and brand they need to maintain.





              I suspect as the industry develops, so to will the regulatory oversight, which will help, not hurt, this industry...at least in terms of credibility.
              Hi Kenster,

              Thank you for your contribution to this thread again,I totally agree with you,especially when you mentioned "its a bit easier to get away with more "garbage" in online promotional material compared to a printed or televised ad in the traditional marketing world. "
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  • Profile picture of the author wello
    To me it's pretty obvious. 'Deceptive CPA offers' are the ones where you find out the catches later... They should let you know of them right away...!
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    • Profile picture of the author williamrs
      Originally Posted by wello View Post

      To me it's pretty obvious. 'Deceptive CPA offers' are the ones where you find out the catches later... They should let you know of them right away...!
      I agree. Of course, with some offers the catches are not something really serious. For example, some dating sites have ridiculous limitations for free members that you will find out only after joining, but you can simply close the window and never use the site again. However, it's more complicated when a company starts charging your CC every 15 days and you don't know how to stop it.

      So most offers have some catches, but they are not always a serious problem.


      William
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